The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

greater yellow water crowfoot, renoncule à évantails, water buttercup, yellow water-buttercup, yellow water-crowfoot

Ranunculus triternatus

Dalles Mountain buttercup, obscure buttercup

Roots

cylindric, 2-3 mm thick.

Stems

floating or prostrate, glabrous, rooting at proximal nodes.

prostrate or ascending, 5-20 cm, glabrous, each with 1-6 flowers.

Leaves

basal leaves seldom present, cauline leaf blades semicircular to reniform, 1-6x-lobed, parted, or dissected 1.2-7.3 × 1.9-10.8 cm, base truncate or cordate, segment margins entire or crenate, apex rounded to filiform.

Basal leaves

persistent, blades rhombic to deltate or reniform in outline, 3-4x-dissected, 1.1-3.4 × 2-3.1 cm, segments linear, base obtuse, margins crenate, apices of segments narrowly rounded.

Flowers

receptacle sparsely hispid;

sepals 5, spreading or weakly reflexed, 5-7 × 3-6 mm, glabrous;

petals 5-6(-14), 7-12 × 5-9 mm;

nectary scale variable, crescent-shaped, funnel-shaped, or flaplike;

style 0.8-1.2 mm.

pedicels glabrous;

receptacle short-pubescent;

sepals 4-8 × 2-5 mm, abaxially glabrous or nearly so;

petals 5, 6-15 × 4-10 mm;

nectary scale glabrous.

Heads of achenes

ovoid, 8-10 × 7-8 mm;

achenes 1.8-2.2 × 1.6-2.2 mm, glabrous;

beak lanceolate, straight, 1-1.8 mm.

depressed-globose, 4-6 × 5-8 mm;

achenes 1.8-2.2 × 1.2-1.8 mm, finely pubescent;

beak subulate, straight, 0.8-1.5 mm.

2n

= 32.

Ranunculus flabellaris

Ranunculus triternatus

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (May–Aug). Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Shallow water or drying mud Grassland or sagebrush
Elevation 0-1500 m (0-4900 ft) 900-1700 m (3000-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; NV; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The Fox tribes used Ranunculus flabellaris as a cold remedy and a respiratory aid (D. E. Moerman 1986).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Of conservation concern.

C. L. Hitchcock et al. (1955-1969, vol. 2) considered the name Ranunculus triternatus A. Gray to be an illegitemate homonym and used the illegitimate (superfluous) name R. reconditus A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride for this species. The name Ranunculus triternatus Poiret was not validly published (not accepted by Poiret) and does not invalidate R. triternatus A. Gray.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Hecatonia Ranunculaceae > Ranunculus > subg. Ranunculus > sect. Epirotes
Sibling taxa
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. adoneus, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, R. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, R. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flammula, R. gelidus, R. glaberrimus, R. glacialis, R. gmelinii, R. gormanii, R. harveyi, R. hebecarpus, R. hederaceus, R. hispidus, R. hydrocharoides, R. hyperboreus, R. hystriculus, R. inamoenus, R. jovis, R. kamtschaticus, R. lapponicus, R. laxicaulis, R. lobbii, R. macauleyi, R. macounii, R. macranthus, R. marginatus, R. micranthus, R. muricatus, R. nivalis, R. occidentalis, R. oresterus, R. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, R. platensis, R. populago, R. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, R. sceleratus, R. sulphureus, R. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. triternatus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
R. abortivus, R. acriformis, R. acris, R. adoneus, R. alismifolius, R. allegheniensis, R. allenii, R. ambigens, R. andersonii, R. aquatilis, R. arizonicus, R. arvensis, R. auricomus, R. austro-oreganus, R. bonariensis, R. bulbosus, R. californicus, R. canus, R. cardiophyllus, R. cooleyae, R. cymbalaria, R. eschscholtzii, R. fascicularis, R. fasciculatus, R. ficaria, R. flabellaris, R. flammula, R. gelidus, R. glaberrimus, R. glacialis, R. gmelinii, R. gormanii, R. harveyi, R. hebecarpus, R. hederaceus, R. hispidus, R. hydrocharoides, R. hyperboreus, R. hystriculus, R. inamoenus, R. jovis, R. kamtschaticus, R. lapponicus, R. laxicaulis, R. lobbii, R. macauleyi, R. macounii, R. macranthus, R. marginatus, R. micranthus, R. muricatus, R. nivalis, R. occidentalis, R. oresterus, R. orthorhynchus, R. pacificus, R. pallasii, R. parviflorus, R. pedatifidus, R. pensylvanicus, R. platensis, R. populago, R. pusillus, R. pygmaeus, R. ranunculinus, R. recurvatus, R. repens, R. rhomboideus, R. sabinei, R. sardous, R. sceleratus, R. sulphureus, R. testiculatus, R. trilobus, R. turneri, R. uncinatus
Synonyms R. delphinifolius R. glaberrimus var. reconditus
Name authority Rafinesque: Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 344. (1818) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 21: 370. (1886)
Web links